True Grit (dir. Joel and Ethan Coen): revenge film plays straight and narrow with problematic heroine
Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit” (2010) Adapted from the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis, “True Grit” can be read as both…
Road Movies
Easy Rider: film holds a mirror to mainstream US society in 1969 – and beyond
Stripped of the hype that has grown around it over the years, “Easy Rider” is a well-made if loose low-budget flick about two drug dealers Wyatt…
French and French-language Films
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran: easy-going road trip with lessons on life and living
François Dupeyron, “Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” (2003) This is an easy-going coming-of-age story based on a novel of the same name set in…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol : powerful Western-style film about an obsessive pursuit
Lu Chuan, “Kekexili: Mountain Patrol” (2004) Not often that you come across a film bearing a strong conservation message combined with a package of stunning…
Taste of Cherry: looks simple and minimal but carries an uncompromising message for viewers
Abbas Kiarostami, “Taste of Cherry” (1997) Source: www.thefilmpilgrim.com On the surface this looks like a very minimalist, in parts improvised film about a man contemplating suicide…